Varian x Arthas
by Flagfish
Summary: This is a story about one of my favorite pairings in Warcraft, with more adult content toward the third chapter; I'd always felt that there wasn't enough about their bromance in the lore considering they were best friends and grew up together— so, I wanted to write a little about that.
1. Chapter 1

In the days after Prince Varian's arrival at Lordaeron Keep, Arthas never saw him cry; he remained stoic and tense and didn't say much at all, and Arthas observed him curiously, he willed himself to force discipline where instead he had wanted to bombard him with questions. His heart swelled with empathy for the prince who had _lost everything_ , and while he became aware he ought not try to coax emotion from him, he couldn't help his own fascination.

He admired Varian.

Unlike himself, Varian had been trained in armed combat from a very young age, his skill with a sword had Arthas overcome with both adoration and envy. He was tall and slender and had long, dark hair that batted around him wildly when they sparred, and although Arthas looked up to him profoundly, all the while he felt a terrible sorrow at the thought of the burden he carried.

 _Somewhere inside, he knew that he, personally, could never survive such a thing_.

And while he didn't show it outright, Varian was fond of him, too; even though he didn't say much, as the months passed he'd begun to spend less time with Lothar and Khadgar, less time on his own, until it became simple fact that he would be found with Arthas.

Despite the pain he felt for him, Arthas all the while was tremendously content; Varian was the best friend he'd wanted badly through boyhood, far back as he could recall. What he liked, Arthas liked; what he chose appeared as the best course of action, down to his clothes or what he wanted for dinner.

" _You can't wear the same uniform_ ," Varian had said; "this is Stormwind's crest."

"Same colors," Arthas had replied; in the end, they wore each other's clothes regardless of the crest or style, or the fact that Varian was taller.

They ate and played together, and had their lessons together, and shared all their free time; all in all, after the tragedies Varian had endured it had done him a great deal of good. He had found in Arthas the brother he'd never had, and had come to love him the way he'd loved his own family.

When one night Lothar and Khadgar had found him asleep in Arthas' bed, they'd been taken a bit by surprise— but soon they had realized they ought not be; "But that's not so extraordinary, is it?" Khadgar had asked. "You must remember how it is at that age, the coveted status of a _best friend_ —"

Lothar had opened his mouth to speak, but whatever words he had prepared never came; he regarded the two boys with a melancholy smile, and then got one arm around Khadgar's back. "Come on," he said, " _let's go to sleep."_

Arthas' older sister, Calia, had said the boys were inseparable; she said there were two things of which her brother was terribly fond, and they were his horse and his best mate. She'd said, "if he's not at the sparring arena then he's at the stables, and if he's at the stables then Varian's probably in there with him."

Calia, herself, had little time for games; as the elder sibling she'd been groomed since childhood to one day take the throne, she'd sometimes gazed enviably out the palace windows at where Varian and Arthas would ride out together. _Nevertheless, she had liked them both_.

"Let's not go back home today," Varian had said to Arthas; they lay out by Lordamere Lake one spring day, aware that nice weather was rare that time of year. After an afternoon of swimming they now reclined on the rocks and gazed at the swaying treetops, _and Arthas knew why Varian didn't want to go back_ : that evening they'd been invited to visit Ellerian Manor, the residence of one _Tiffin the Gryphon_ whom Varian utterly loathed.

The feeling between them was mutual; before either had so much as learned to walk or talk, Tiffin and Varian were bound by the shackles of an arranged marriage, and they despised one another consequently. When they had been very young children, Tiffin was larger and stronger than Varian, and at any visit between them she hadn't missed a chance to beat him up; Varian had terrible memories of wailing and screaming beneath her while she clawed at his face, until they'd been pulled apart and forced to behave.

Tiffin had found him repulsive, she'd called him _Varian the Barbarian_ and refused to ever apologize for the way she'd bullied him; as a matter of fact, these very struggles had driven Varian's determination to train at combat and become stronger, _and now Arthas could see why_.

Even now she still towered over them both, she threatened them without any words to dare and come closer, _and swore she'd rather die than have to marry the Barbarian_.

"Like I wanna marry her anyway," Varian would mutter to Arthas; " _what a dreadful thought_."

 _Maybe if they hadn't been forced upon each other, things would have been different_.

"Varian wants to marry Arthas," Calia had said; she was certain Arthas wouldn't mind, they were at an age when they weren't fond of girls yet, and the idea appealed to them both. But Lothar had told Varian that one day he would reclaim his kingdom, and that an heir would be expected of him; _as revolting as the thought had sounded, it was something Varian was made to understand very early on_ , and indeed Lothar's words gave him courage and hope for the future.

He'd told Arthas, "There's no way I'm having an heir with Tiffin the Gryphon."

 _For once, Arthas felt glad that he wasn't first in line for Lordaeron's throne_.

By the time he'd first met Calia's friend Jaina, Arthas already was fully enamored by Varian; he'd been curious about her, but she and Calia had spent so much time together he'd never got the chance to talk to her alone.

He'd confided in Varian that he'd fancied her, and Varian gave a small laugh, as though liking a girl had made him somehow _weird_ ; however, he didn't give him a hard time beyond that. _He was glad that, unlike him, at least Arthas had got to choose the person he fancied_.

It wasn't until adolescence that Jaina confided in Calia that _she thought her little brother was cute_.

She'd made her promise not to tell, but Calia couldn't help laughing; "You're kidding," she'd said, " _Arthas, of all people?_ "

"I know," Jaina had said; she laughed and squirmed a little, _like she, herself, was baffled_. "Somehow he'd got kind of handsome— _but Cali, you have to promise not to tell him_."

Calia prepared herself to have a field day making fun of her, _because the thought of her snot-nosed baby brother being somehow handsome was utterly ridiculous_ ; _Good luck extracting him from Varian's grip_ , she had said, but the closeness between the two boys was something Jaina found charming.

In the end it couldn't be helped, and a very awkward friendship ensued between Arthas and Jaina— but ultimately Arthas still went to Varian for comfort, and the two still preferred each other's company to that of anyone else.

 _Jaina didn't mind_. She was fond of Varian and liked playing with them both, but soon her own demanding academic curriculum at Dalaran had completely consumed her life; what little free time she had she had spent at Lordaeron Keep with her friends, until the guards knew her as well as they knew the royal family.

One night, Arthas had knocked impatiently on Varian's bedroom door, and finally let himself in without waiting to be admitted; he'd been out at the shops with Jaina, and now returned to tell Varian that she'd nearly kissed him.

Varian sat up straighter at his writing desk, aware that here was a matter requiring his immediate attention; he checked his best friend for any permanent scars.

" _Nearly_ kissed you?" he asked; "Why _nearly_?"

At that, Arthas flushed uncomfortably; he regarded Varian like he were helpless. "I don't know what to do," he said.

Varian had been about to tease him, but soon realized he knew just as little; "Well—" he said, " _don't you just_ — _that is—_ I mean, you've seen people kiss before, haven't you?"

The two paused in order to consider it; "Yeah—" Arthas said, "—but that still doesn't— I mean— what if, like—"

In the end they had made up their minds to practice on each other, because that had been easiest and would likely benefit them both; either way, by that age there was no part of their bodies they hadn't already fully compared and contrasted, there was no inhibition between them.

 _If only Jaina had known the things they had done, she'd likely have fancied Arthas much more— if he'd let her watch, at least_.

 _(On to Chapter 2)_

XXX

A/N: I would love to find someone interested in roleplaying Warcraft lore, especially Varian/Arthas, Wrathion/Anduin, or Illidan/Kael'thas (if this is still on here then I'm still looking, haha!) I've had a very difficult time finding anyone interested in this, as WoW fangirls usually like RPing their OCs (which I'm not interested in doing). I don't mind at all if you don't know much lore, if English isn't your first language, if you're a little shy, or if you're new to Warcraft or to RPing; I just like writing with someone else who's passionate about the same stuff =) If you feel like giving it a go, then please either send me a message or reach me through the contact info on my profile. Thank you! ^^

A/N: This story includes tiny variations from the lore, based on headcanons from RP; though I suppose that if Bliz can go back and change their own lore and retcon things, then perhaps in the grand scheme of things it might not be so bad ^^


	2. Chapter 2

When Arthas told Jaina of what he and Varian had done, she was all ears; _she'd always suspected there were intimate things between them_ , and Calia had said she must certainly be right, Arthas grinned pleasantly on realizing _here was the way to have Jaina's attention without doubt_.

"Hold up," She had said, Arthas was visiting her dorm at Dalaran and they had her room to themselves; she turned most of the way at her desk chair to where he was lain on her bed with the holy scripture he'd been reading, she could see the corners of his mouth inch up in a smile.

Arthas proceeded to roll his scripture neatly into a scroll and then placed it at the side of the bed, and instead got both hands patiently in his lap _—_ _like he had no idea where this was going._ "Yes?" he asked with feigned innocence.

 _Pure and holy through and through_.

" _Come off it_ ," Jaina laughed, she now turned as to face him directly; " _So— you and Varian_...?"

"Varian and I...?"

" _You and Varian... you know...?_ "

"I haven't the slightest what you're on about."

He just barely dodged the pillow that came flying at him; " _Come on_ ," Jaina chuckled, " _You know what I'm asking_."

"What you're asking?" Arthas cocked his head with mock curiosity; "What would that be?"

" _You utter prat_."

They both were laughing by then, Jaina got him pinned on her bed and was trying to get him to talk; "I'm completely clueless, I swear!" Arthas said; he squirmed under her roaming hands while she tried to tickle him, " _I have no idea what you want to know about me and Varian. My best friend, Varian. My old chum, Varian. Whom I may or may not have snogged once or twice—_ "

Jaina gripped him breathlessly; " _I knew it!_ " She cried, _"Calia said you lot did stuff_ —"

" _Calia_ said so? I don't remember her ever seeing us at it..."

"So it's true?" Jaina asked, her face had lit up like she were a child on Winter Veil morning; _she could tell Arthas was loving the hell out of this_.

He grinned toothily and got both arms behind his head; "Maybe," he said, _he ought to have known she'd be so into this._

"Was it _just_ snogging then?"

"Getting awfully personal, aren't we?"

"I'm your girlfriend, getting personal is just one of many perks I get."

"Reckon it is, isn't it?"

" _Yes, yes it is_."

"Well, I suppose if that's the case..."

" _Then you have to tell me_."

"...then I have to tell you."

"Yes, yes you do."

"About the dirty things I did with Varian."

" _Oh my Light_."

"On the arena floor at the end of a match."

" _Oh my Light._ "

"Last Tuesday after training."

For several seconds, Jaina merely stared with uninterrupted interest; " _You're having a laugh_ ," she said, "you're just making this up to get me going."

Arthas grinned affectionately, just a tiny bit shy; _she could tell by the way he met her gaze he was being honest_.

"Holy Light," she said incredulously; "you guys really did, didn't you? You're really not making this up—"

He gave a fond little laugh and absently brushed her hip where she still was straddled over him, there was just the faintest hint of a flush on his face; _Jaina thought she absolutely loved him in that moment_.

She couldn't help kissing him, _he was terribly cute_ , she drew back and asked, " _So was that your first time?_ "

At that, Arthas huffed with so much sarcasm that even she was surprised; " _First_ time?" he scoffed, " _Light, you want the first time, that was years ago_..."

 _He loved the way she stared at him, like clearly here was a regular fantasy she thought was too hot to be true;_ by then, he was almost certain she wanted to have him, he loved the attention and let her disrobe him gradually, while he whispered at her ear about _the first time he and Varian kissed_.

It had been years before then, when they still were in their teens, after the first time Jaina had _almost_ managed to kiss Arthas; both boys had been awfully curious, and to Arthas kissing Varian was about a hundred times less intimidating than kissing Jaina.

"All right," Varian had said; he'd put aside the documents he'd been working on and rose from his seat, then got one arm amicably round Arthas' back and leaned in to take his lips _like it were the most natural thing in the world_.

"Oi," Arthas sputtered, it felt more like a surprise move in combat, something Varian would do when Arthas' guard was down; and, as in combat, Varian didn't let him off easy, he seized his mouth with unmistakable purpose and didn't release him till he'd made very clear that he'd won.

It dawned on them slowly that they'd liked it; they'd realized also that _it didn't feel so different from their various struggles at the arena_ , by then they knew each other's bodies very well.

For some moments, they regarded each other in silence like they tried to decide what they thought, and then without preamble they went at it again; this time it issued with much greater intent, Arthas' hands came on Varian's face and he kissed him with just as much fervor.

 _He'd always wanted to do this, he realized now_.

Already in his teens Varian had the form of a titan, he'd trained tirelessly with his sword while Arthas had spent his mornings at the Cathedral of Light, and the raw power of him was nearly tangible; Arthas' hands trailed over his chest with adoration he never tried to conceal, _there were no secrets between them, Varian always had been his own._

" _You're stunning_ ," his voice came hoarse on Varian's mouth; " _Look at you, I wish I looked this good—_ "

" _Hey_ ," Varian said with a breathy laugh; "Don't say that, you've gotten really toned _._ "

He felt impulsively inclined to defend his best friend at the smallest hint of deprecation.

"Just there," he murmured while his hand slid beneath Arthas' shirt, the words came unnaturally gentle; there had been a knowing warmth to Arthas' presence, like he walked ever within the immaterial glow of the Light, which felt welcoming and sweet to the touch.

Arthas smiled despite himself, bashful with pleasure at Varian's praise; "Rubbish," he said softly, his eyes glittered with immeasurable fondness. Since boyhood he'd taken Varian's opinions as absolute truth, and in particular where combat was concerned _—_ so a compliment like this had meant the world; "Reckon I should spend more time with you at the arena," he murmured, _by then they both tugged impatiently at his clothes_.

Varian's entire face brightened on hearing this; " _Yeah?_ " he asked, and Arthas wondered how someone's entire sex appeal could resound so powerfully in only one word.

" _Have waited ages to hear you say that_ ," Varian grinned; " _No one knows the feel of my sword quite so well as you_."

 _(On to Chapter 3)_

XXX

A/N: I would love to find someone interested in roleplaying Warcraft lore, especially Varian/Arthas, Wrathion/Anduin, or Illidan/Kael'thas (if this is still on here then I'm still looking, haha!) I've had a very difficult time finding anyone interested in this, as WoW fangirls usually like RPing their OCs (which I'm not interested in doing). I don't mind at all if you don't know much lore, if English isn't your first language, if you're a little shy, or if you're new to Warcraft or to RPing; I just like writing with someone else who's passionate about the same stuff =) If you feel like giving it a go, then please either send me a message or reach me through the contact info on my profile. Thank you! ^^


	3. Chapter 3

By this point in adolescence, everything had come naturally between Varian and Arthas; they felt no inhibitions or qualms, they'd come to know each other's bodies as they had their own. Their first time experimenting Varian told him directly what he wanted to try, where he wanted his hands, what felt nicer and what he ought to do more— and Arthas had been just as curious, they shared an unspoken understanding that everything was allowed.

He felt flattered when Varian liked something he did, he wanted to know how things felt and asked if they could take turns trying; they compared and contrasted every bit of their bodies, left nothing undisclosed, and competed as to who could please the other better.

Arthas had Varian lain on his back, down to his underwear, his hand trailed the flawless outline of his chest with visible admiration; despite him his mouth inched up in a smile and his voice came with devotion when he spoke. "Light, you're beautiful," he said honestly, "look at this— _look at you_ —"

Their eyes met momentarily when they both gave a small laugh, Arthas chuckled and shook his head; "When did you get so— _oh, you just look so good_ —"

He playfully gripped Varian by his flanks and leaned forth to kiss his chest all over, his hair poured on his bare skin in a soft veil; at that, Varian gave a cry of surprise and then a breathy laugh, his hand came roughly in Arthas' hair where he pressed him farther down.

"That's brilliant," he said, "do that more, let me look at you—"

He tried messily to hold Arthas' hair out of his face, when their gaze met they both were smiling; Arthas felt tremendously pleased that he'd done well somehow. "You like that?" he asked, he deliberately kissed him more, he loved the warm feel of Varian's sculpted chest and the firm grasp of his hand in his hair.

"Could you do it with your tongue?" Varian asked, he liked that even better, he watched intently and tensed in a way that made Arthas believe he, personally, was fantastically talented; "You have to do this to me too," Arthas said, and Varian breathlessly promised he will— _but could you go on for just a bit longer...?_

He'd got blatantly hard and made no attempt to hide it, to the point where Arthas teased him about it openly; "What's this?" he asked with a cheeky laugh, his hand came just outside Varian's briefs where he playfully cupped his hard member. It felt nice in his grip, he'd seen him naked plenty and liked the firm size of him; at that, Varian's mouth stretched in a toothy grin, his eyes glittered fondly when he met Arthas' gaze.

"That feels good," he said honestly, his hand came on Arthas' hand, where he directed him more specifically to touch him the way he liked; he was a little wet, just at the tip, it felt warm through the fabric in their mutual grasp and made Arthas want to touch him more.

"Yeah?" he asked, they both gave a chuckle while Arthas' fingers slid over the material of his briefs; "You got hard, just from this? Am I that good?"

"I get hard like five times an hour," Varian laughed; "like, for no reason."

"Yeah," Arthas snickered, "me too; but you have to admit you liked that."

"Maybe a little."

"Shut up, you liked it a lot."

"I'd like it better if you— here—"

Their gaze came on their joined hands, where now Varian helpfully got Arthas' hand beneath his briefs, and finally he went on to take his member completely out of its confines; he kept one hand on his after that and guided him to touch him the way he liked, he made no effort to hide how good that felt.

Arthas chuckled while he did it, Varian did have a beautiful cock, but now he was getting impatient for his turn; "When are you doing this to me?" he asked openly, "you said we were gonna switch."

"We are, for sure—" Varian said, his voice hitched a little with audible enjoyment; " _—_ come here, I'll do it to you, too—"

Arthas didn't need to be asked twice; he released Varian momentarily and went straight away for his own trousers, there came a rustle of fabric while he unraveled the binds, just enough to get his member out. A few moments followed where they tried sheepishly to figure out how they ought to be positioned, and while it wasn't exactly comfortable, they liked it well enough when they got to touching each other again; "Come here," Varian said, "come a bit closer—"

Arthas thought his hand felt fantastic on him, he remembered Varian's long digits on the hilt of his sword, his calloused fingertips, the way his knuckles went firm and white during combat; he fought not to succumb too quickly to his touch.

Without shame he began pressing into his palm, he leaned over him for leverage, one hand on the mattress and one still on Varian's cock; when they kissed it came completely naturally, it was awkward and clumsy and somehow very familiar even if they'd not really done something like this before.

"Wanna do it with your mouth?" Varian asked, and Arthas immediately replied, " _No._ "

They laughed, both slightly breathless; "I'll do it to you, too," Varian offered, now he had Arthas' interest without doubt. "Really?" Arthas asked, Varian appeared entirely unbothered; the fact remained that they both were tremendously curious.

"Yeah," came the reply; "I mean— haven't you ever wondered what it's like to do it?"

"Well," Arthas said; he paused for a moment to give it some thought. "Who hasn't wondered that?"

"So you wanna?"

He regarded him with something like childlike innocence, despite everything still vulnerable to his touch; at that, Arthas couldn't help smiling. He could not deny that, on a certain level, he _did_ very much want to do something Varian clearly wanted, he secretly enjoyed seeing him pleased.

"Yeah," he said with a soft, boyish grin; "Yeah, let's do that."

 _To be continued..._

XX

A/N: I would love to find someone interested in roleplaying Warcraft lore, especially Varian/Arthas, Illidan/Kael'thas, or Wrathion/Anduin (if this is still on here then I'm still looking, haha!) I've had a very difficult time finding anyone interested in this, as WoW fangirls usually like RPing their OCs (which I'm not interested in doing). I don't mind at all if you don't know much lore, if English isn't your first language, if you're a little shy, or if you're new to Warcraft or to RPing; I just like writing with someone else who's passionate about the same stuff =) If you feel like giving it a go, then please either send me a message or reach me through the contact info on my profile. Thank you! ^^


End file.
